Borrowed

**Update- my friend over at Our Red Thread Journey decided to play, so go check out her answeres too! **


My friend, Significant Source, had a great idea.....which she borrowed from Rocks In My Dryer, and which I am borrowing from her! Follow? Good!

It's all about Labor Day. No, not the holiday kind! You don't get any time off for this Labor Day!


If you want to play along on your blog, go here and leave a comment on Not A Significant Source so we can follow you to your answers!


How long were your labors?


Lizzie = 1 year, 10 months, 15 days! That's how long it was from the day I met her Daddy until the day we got married. The labor was to prove that I was good enough to be her Step-Mom! I've earned it, trust me.


Parker and Noah = 29 days! It's true. I went into labor in October and ended up at the hospital for 5 days while they tried to stop it. They were never successful in stopping it completely, but slowed it down. I was sent home after that, and continued to slowly dilate while taking labor quelling drugs and on the strictest bed rest. It was a joyous time, I tell you. After 29 days of labor, my doctor decided I'd had enough....or either he took one look at Paul and decided he'd had enough! He took me off the drugs and sent me to the hospital. In the end, I stopped dilating at 5cm and they had to induce me! Figures. At least their labor was shorter than Lizzie's....and less painful.


Isabel = 5 hours! That's right. Short and sweet! I was induced around 9am and she was born after three pushes at 2:05pm! She was that easy.....and it continued, until she turned five. Then Hanny Montany came along and the sass in our girl came out! That show is now banned in out home. Moving along.


Claire = 3 months 13 days from the day we found her. Clearly, short labors are not my thang! And, imagine my surprise when God revealed to us that the daughter he'd carefully chosen for our family, was exactly what I'd said I couldn't handle. Boy, doesn't He just love to remind us that it isn't about us!


How did you know you were in labor?

Lizzie: God told me. I listened. End of story.


Parker and Noah: I went in for a regular visit with an Ob/Gyn at my doctor's office. She checked me out and happily announced that I was between 2 and 3cm dilated, and 90% effaced. When she saw the look of horror on my face, she grabbed my file off the counter and quickly realized that I was not who she thought I was, and that 3cm dilated was NOT so good at 30 weeks. She sent me straight to the hospital!


Isabel: Ummmm, she was scheduled.


Claire: We got an approval letter from China to come and get Wei Kang Tong!


Where did you deliver?

Lizzie officially became my step-daughter on January 4th, 1994-the day I married her father....unfortunately, most people didn't know we were married, including Lizzie, until May 7th, 1994 when we had a wedding. Lizzie was present at both, she just didn't know what we were doing in that attorney's office the first time!


Parker and Noah were delivered in an operating room at Roper Hospital in Charleston. Twins have to be delivered in an operating room, due to the high likelihood that it could be a c-section. Well, I say have to be, that is what I was told.


Isabel was delivered in a L&D suite at Roper Hospital.


Claire was placed in my arms in an office in the Tianjin City orphanage in Tianjin City, China.


Drugs?


Lizzie: no drugs were involved....not even a xanax! I should be more specific. I did not take any drugs....my dear sweet mother-in-law was most likely popping enough for all of us!


Parker and Noah: DUH! An epidural was administered within minutes of my hospital check-in. My doctor believes in pain free child birth! Who was I to argue?


Isabel: See above.


Claire: The only drugs consumed by me in China were Pepto Bismol. And, that was ordered by a gastroenterologist friend, for us to take 2 pills, three times a day from the time we left US soil until our return to US soil. It was good advice! The only people in our travel group that did not get sick in China were the ones taking the pepto!


C-Section?


That would be a negative on all counts!


Who delivered?


Lizzie: Well yeah, that would be God again. After all, it was His idea.


Parker and Noah: The most wonderful doctor on the face of the Earth....and his cohort, a doctor I didn't particularly like. But, he turned out to be instrumental in this delivery. Parker didn't want to come and Noah couldn't wait to get out. Noah kicked and flipped, but Parker blocked the way! Yes, they've been wrestling since they were conceived! So, Parker was suctioned out, like it or not, you're coming out! And, Noah. He was breech of course. They were going to try to turn him, but he was having no part, so he hurried up and wedged himself butt first in the canal. We thought I would have to have a c-section. But, no. "The Other" doctor got on the table with me and pushed him out and my doctor stood....well, you know where, and manipulated him. He came out butt first, bruised from his head to his toe on the right side and mad at the world! Well, mostly we figured, he was mad at not being first! This was evidenced by his behavior from that moment on....he has refused to be last at anything else! And all the nurses congratulated the doctors on a job well done. What? Yeah, all 20 of them. They were lined up against the walls, some for me, some for each boy. They were there just in case things went....well, they weren't needed, but they got a show! And, the doctors saved me from the dreaded c-section so I thanked them....even though I did some of the work too, you know!


Isabel: My most wonderful doctor again. He induced two weeks early because he had planned to take his vacation when she was due..... and that just wouldn't do!


Claire: She was delivered to the orphanage by her foster mother of two years, whom we did not get to meet, or even lay eyes on. But, handed to me by a woman that worked at the orphanage.

Well, that was easy and relatively painless! So, play along!